MoCCA ANNOUNCES SUMMER 2005 COMIC COURSES

press release:

MoCCA ANNOUNCES SUMMER EDUCATION COURSES FOR 2005

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is proud to announce its inaugural Summer Education Course series for 2005.

“This is our way of introducing people to the art of comics and enabling them to gain the skills they need to become part of the comics world,” said Lawrence Klein, Founder and Chairman of MoCCA. “We are proud of our new summer program and are confident that it will benefit our community.”

The first ever program will offer courses by well-known comic writers and artists on a variety of topics:

* Breaking Into Comics (Tuesdays, 6:30-8:00 pm – 10 weeks) with Andy Schmidt
* Basic Writing for Comics (Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm – 8 weeks) with Neil Kleid
* A Crash Course on Comic Story-telling (Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 pm – 6 weeks) with Klaus Janson
* Comic Strips for Beginners (Saturdays, 5:00-7;00 pm – 6 weeks) with Tom Hart
* D.I.Y. Comix and ‘Zine Workshop (Sundays, 5:00-7:00 pm – 5 weeks) with Fly

All classes will be held onsite at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, located on the fourth floor of 594 Broadway (between Houston and Prince Street). Nearest subways stations are Broadway-Lafayette (B,D,F,V ), Prince Street (W/R), and Bleecker Street (6).

Class size is limited. Enrollment is restricted to MoCCA members until May 11, 2005. General enrollment (for non-members) starts May 12, 2005. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying area youth.

To request a registration form, please call or visit the museum. Completed registration forms should be mailed, faxed or hand-delivered to:

Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art
Attn: MoCCA Summer Education Coordinator
594 Broadway, Suite 401 (4th floor)
New York, NY 10012
Fax: 212- 254- 3590
Phone: 212- 254- 3511

Applications for registration will be processed in the order in which they are received.

For more information about MoCCA Summer Education Courses, please visit the museum website (www.moccany.org).

About MoCCA

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, located at 594 Broadway in SoHo, is the newest addition to New York City’s cultural landscape. A 501(c)(3) non-profit arts education organization dedicated to promoting greater understanding and appreciation of comic and cartoon art, the Museum celebrates the unique creative achievements of graphic storytelling.

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MOCCA SUMMER EDUCATION COURSES FOR 2005

Breaking Into Comics (Tuesdays, 6:30-8:00 pm – 10 weeks)
Instructor: Andy Schmidt
Date of first class: June 21, 2005
Tuition: $200
Maximum number of students: 15
Age group: 16 and up
Course Description: Breaking Into Comics

We’re going to cover everything I can cram into this summer course. Essentially, it’s broken down into three categories:
1) The Work. If you look at the comic racks these days, you’re likely to find a wide spectrum of quality. There’s good work out there but also a lot of sub par work. That means there’s room for new talent! I’ll try and get us all the way from story to lettering in 10 weeks. 2) Breaking In. We’ll cover subjects from formatting pitches and scripts, picking the right pages for pencil samples and how to approach editors. 3) Staying Put. This is the hardest part. Once you’ve gotten your first gig, how do you get the second or third? I’ll give you tips and advice on how to roll your first assignment into a career. Shall we begin?

Andy has been editing various projects like Secret War, Defenders and Madrox for the last three years at Marvel Entertainment. He assists Tom Brevoort on the Marvel heroes’ line, which includes New Avengers, Fantastic Four and Young Avengers. Prior to beginning his comics editing career, Andy was a college professor in St. Louis, Missouri where he earned his masters degree in Media Communications and taught classes on Aesthetics, Film and Comics and Sequential Art.


Basic Writing for Comics (Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm – 8 weeks)
Instructor: Neil Kleid
Date of first class: June 22, 2005
Tuition: $160
Maximum number of students: 15
Age group: 13 to 18
Course Description: Basic Writing for Comics

Know what a splash page is? Ever heard of a springboard? How about plot-style scripting? If none of these terms sit comfortably in your writer’s back pocket like a trusted wallet, then this course is for you.

Writer/cartoonist Neil Kleid leads novice writers on a crash course road trip through the ins and outs of writing for the comic-book industry. Topics covered include plotting, scripting and pitching. By the end of the course, each writer will leave with a short script in hand.

Neil Kleid is the Xeric-winning author of Ninety Candles, a graphic novella about life, fatherhood, comic books and death. His graphic novel about the Jewish Mafia with artist Jake Allen, Brownsville, debuts from NBM Publishing in 2006.

A Crash Course on Comic Story-telling (Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 pm – 6 weeks)
Instructor: Klaus Janson
Date of first class: June 30, 2005
Tuition: $150
Maximum number of students: 12
Age group: 18 to 25
Course Description: A Crash Course on Comic Story-telling

A discussion and presentation of the most preliminary and basic fundamentals required to understand and execute visual story-telling. The importance of clarity as a theory, the page layout, the importance of panel size and shape, composition, creating three dimensions in a two dimensional world and an introduction to working in ink complete this compact introduction to sequential story-telling. Everyone gets a one on one review of their
portfolio. This is a fast roller coaster ride emphasizing the highlights of sequential storytelling theory. Not for the faint of heart.

Klaus Janson has written, penciled, inked and colored a handful of comic books in the last few years. The most recent work is pencils and inks for a nine issue maxi-series, Death and the Maidens with Greg Rucka for DC Comics and inks over John Romita Jr. on Wolverine for Marvel Comics. He authored both DC Comics Guide to Penciling and the sequel, DC Comics Guide to Inking. Klaus teaches a class on story-telling at The School for Visual Arts.

Comic Strips for Beginners (Saturdays, 5:00-7;00 pm – 6 weeks)
Instructor: Tom Hart
Date of first class: June 25, 2005
Tuition: $90
Maximum number of students: 12
Age group: 16 to 25
Course Description: Comic Strips for Beginners

Students in this class will begin by creating comic strip characters and learn to mix and match them with other ideas and techniques to make professional-level comic strips. Penciling, inking and writing will be demonstrated, and classic comic strips will be examined and discussed.

Tom Hart is the creator of the comic book series Hutch Owen, described as “Peanuts for the Post –Enron Generation”. He has released numerous books to critical and audience acclaim, including nominations for the “Eisner”, “Harvey” and two industry “Ignatz” awards. Tom has created a series, Pitch Unger, for a publisher in Japan, been translated into French and Portuguese, and has had his work exhibited in shows from Seattle, Washington to Lubjiana, Slovenia.

D.I.Y. Comix and ‘Zine Workshop (Sundays, 5:00-7:00 pm – 5 weeks)
Instructor: Fly
Date of first class: June 26, 2005
Tuition: $50
Maximum number of students: 15
Age group: 15 and up
Course Description: D.I.Y. Comix and ‘Zine Workshop

Learn to make your own comix from story ideas, sketches and thumbnails to finished product. The workshop will take the student through four steps to creating your own personal photocopied comic book (zine).

Week 1: Introduction of story ideas, thumbnails progressing to finished sketches.
Week 2: Pencils and planning for inks.
Week 3: Inking and planning for paste-ups.
Week 4: Finishing the comic and having it ready to be photocopied.
Week 5: Zine trading party open to all those who attended the workshop and open to the public. Admission will be $5.00 or one zine. Each week will also host a guest speaker.

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On May 21st, 2005, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art will launch a traveling exhibition honoring the life and work of Will Eisner. The exhibit features original artwork spanning Eisner’s long career, including two complete Spirit stories from 1947.

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How to get to MoCCA:
594 Broadway (between Houston and Prince)
Suite 401 (Fourth Floor)
New York City
Tel: 212 254 3511
Fax: 212 254 3590
www.moccany.org
Take B, D, F, V or 6 to B'way-Lafayette Street
Take N, R to Prince Street

MoCCA's hours are Friday through Monday - 12pm till 5pm and by appointment at other times.